Beside me, Rick looked lost for a moment, glancing around him, returning again and again to the spot where Columban had been. His expression was stark, eyes unblinking. I wanted to reach out to him—anyone else I would have hugged, tried to comfort. Tried to share the grief. But I couldn’t touch him. I reached out my hand, then drew it back.
“Rick,” I said softly.
Rick’s gaze came to rest on Cormac. “You might as well have killed him yourself.”
The vampire closed on him in a second, almost invisible with speed. Cormac had a stake in hand just as the vampire reached him. The tip of the stake rested on Rick’s chest, but Rick’s hands gripped Cormac’s neck and squeezed. Cormac choked, but his hold on the stake didn’t waver. Both were ready to deliver killing blows. Rick bared his teeth, showing prominent fangs. He was usually so good at keeping them hidden.
Shouting, I ran, the strength of my Wolf carrying me in a couple of long strides, and crashed between them. “Stop it!”
They fell back. Cormac held the stake at the ready; Rick was braced to fight. But they waited. Really, they didn’t have to listen to me. But they did. I held out my arms, keeping a space between them.
Rick spat his words past me. “You knew what would happen when you broke his protections. You knew something would attack.”
“Question is, did you?” Cormac appeared calm, but he was sweating with nerves. “Did he tell you what was after you both?”
“Both of you shut up,” I said, the words growling, my teeth bared.
They looked at me, and might have shown some concern for my state of mind. I felt fur prickling just under the skin, and wished Ben were here, because all he’d have to do was touch my arm and I’d calm down. But hell, if me threatening to shift uncontrollably got them to stand down, so be it.
Rick lowered his arms, but Cormac wasn’t moving that stake an inch. If I had to stay here all night, I would. I wasn’t going to let them near each other.
Hardin had been at the curb along the street, talking to the uniformed officers she’d brought. They’d walked off, probably searching the area for any evidence, or random destruction, or whatever. I doubted they’d find anything. Seeing the three of us in a standoff, she put her hand on her holster and walked over.
“There a problem?”
I wasn’t going to say anything—let one of them back down. When none of us answered, she continued. “Right, then who’s going to explain to me what the hell just happened?”
Good question. I wanted someone to do the same for me. But Cormac and Rick kept glaring daggers at each other.
Maybe if I started thinking out loud. “Columban knew he was being hunted. I’m betting that fire in Hungary was part of it. He knew how to protect himself, but when the shield was destroyed—”
“I got all that,” she said. “What about you and him? All that stuff she said at the end about being traitors? And Dux Bellorum? That’s Roman, right? That megalomaniac vampire freak who came through a couple years ago? And where did she go?”
Right to the heart of it. How big was this really? Was this a backstreet scuffle, or a battle in an ongoing war? I knew where I was putting my money.
“You don’t really want to know,” I said weakly.
“Oh, yes I do.” Her expression blazed.
“The Long Game,” I said, swallowing to get control of my voice, to pull Wolf back to her cage.
“I’ve heard you both talk about that before. It’s got something to do with Roman?”
“He’s worse than you think, detective,” I said.
“Kitty,” Rick said. “You don’t have to explain to her. You don’t have to bring her into this.”
On the contrary, I thought it was long past time we explained everything to her. I said to him, “We’re looking for allies. I consider her an ally.”
He nodded at Cormac. “You consider him an ally, too, and look what happened.”
“Rick—” I begged.
The vampire glared at Cormac, who might very well have turned to a
flaming crisp if he hadn’t been wearing sunglasses to protect him from meeting Rick’s gaze.
“I do not ever want to see you again,” Rick said. “Be grateful I’m not forcing you to leave my city.”